The Fastest-Growing Companies in England | 2025
In the first part of our series, we’re looking at England’s fastest-growing companies.
When you Google “what is England famous for?”, a number of things come up. Pubs, Stonehenge, the royal family, the NHS, even rain. But despite its small geographical size, England is a commercial powerhouse competing with the USA, China, India, and more.
It’s also home to some huge global businesses such as BP, Shell, and Unilever, as well as providing a platform for startups and SMEs — just think of Revolut, Deliveroo, and Monzo, all started in England. In this latest article in our series of the UK’s fastest-growing companies, we’ve taken a deep dive into England’s rich high-growth ecosystem.
Discover England’s business landscape
Before exploring the companies that made the list, let’s take a closer look at England’s business landscape in general.
In England, there are currently 4.78m active companies. Out of those active companies, nearly a third are located in the nation’s capital (1.34m). Following on from this in second and third place, 640k of active companies are located in the South East and 479k are in the North West.
Industries and sectors
Looking at industries, property development and construction has the most active companies in England equating to approximately 12.1% of all English companies.
Application software was in second place making up 12% of English Companies. Under the umbrella of application software, we see a range of subsectors such as SaaS. There are currently 6.45k active SaaS companies in England.
It’s all worth mentioning artificial intelligence which also often comes under the application software umbrella. There are currently 6.99k companies in the active AI industry in England.
In third place is restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways which makes up 7.5% of English companies.
Gender balance of founders
When it comes to gender balance of founding teams, for companies that have reported its gender balance, 22.6k companies have an all-male founding team whereas just 3.4k of active UK companies have an all-female founding team.
Foundations and cessations
We also looked at English company foundations and cessations. So far in 2025, there’s been 407k foundations and 335 cessations. Overall, in 2024 there were 732k foundations and 601k cessations, and as we’re a little over half way through the year, so far we’re on track to finish with similar numbers.
Equity investment in England
When looking at equity investment, England secures the top spot out of the UK’s four nations in Q1 2025 for number of deals made (934) with the highest amount invested (£3.35b). In fact, England comprises 90% of the UK’s deals and 92% of the total amount raised in Q1 2025. Of England’s regions, London comes out in the top spot for both, with 48% of deals and 62% of amount raised.
England’s (and London’s) dominance in equity investment is consistent and long-running, comfortably claiming the top spot since our data began in 2011. Though from 2023 to 2024 there was a marginal downtick in the proportion of deals made and amount invested in England, from 92% to 91% (deals made), and from 96% to 94% (amount raised).
Discover more on the UK’s equity funding ecosystem in our quarterly report, The State of UK Investment: Q1 2025.
Ranking methodology
To make our list of England’s high-growth companies, we’ve used data from the Beauhurst platform, which was used in conjunction with research from the Sunday Times to create the Sunday Times Hundred. This ranking, published in the Sunday Times on 29th June, ranks the UK’s fastest growing companies by sales growth over a three year period.
What is The Sunday Times Hundred?
The Sunday Times Hundred is a ranking of the UK’s 100 fastest-growing companies.
This high-growth list is compiled using a combination of our data and independent research from the team at The Sunday Times. It highlights exceptional UK companies that meet strict criteria:
- £5m+ turnover
- Independent, privately-owned and UK headquartered companies
- Have four years of accounts, with sales growth measured by CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the latest three financial years
To create this article, we have used the same dataset. This means every company on this list has also featured on The Sunday Times Hundred 2025.
Take a tour
England’s top 10 fastest-growing companies by sales growth
10.
Ethos Farm
Location: Richmond
Growth rate: 172%
Ethos Farm is a customer and employee experience consultancy founded in 2016. With over 700 staff across offices in London, New York, and Singapore, it helps brands in retail, aviation, travel and leisure through immersive learning, tech‑driven training, and bespoke staffing solutions.
Known for its virtual reality “Performance Rooms,” it achieved a 172 % CAGR in revenue over the last three years to £24.5 m last year.
09.
Ancient + Brave
Location: Wealden
Growth rate: 174%
Ancient + Brave, founded in 2018 by former lawyer Kate Prince, is a B‑Corp certified, East Sussex–based wellness brand. This female‑led company has expanded to over 200 global retailers including Selfridges and Harrods.
As well as featuring on the Sunday Times Hundred twice, the company has appeared on six other high-growth lists. It has also been through three funding rounds, raising a total of £3.37m in equity funding.
08.
Nala's Baby
Location: Oxfordshire
Growth rate: 175%
Nala’s Baby is a parent‑founded children’s skincare and haircare brand created in 2020 by Sasha Ellese Gilbert and rapper Casyo “Krept” Johnson. After launching in Boots and selling one million units within six months, it’s now stocked by major UK retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado and Next, and backed by celebrity investors including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Joshua.
Since its launch, the company has been through two fundraising events, raising a total of £4.53m.
07.
D Louise
Location: Camden
Growth rate: 184%
D. Louise is a Camden‑based jewellery brand launched in 2021 by Olivia Jenkins in memory of her mother, Deborah Louise, who passed away in 2017. The brand specialises in jewellery you never have to take off.
The company featured on the FEBE Growth 100 high-growth list in 2024 and 2025, as well as the Sunday Times Hundred.
06.
CAPO
Location: Hyndburn
Growth rate: 192%
CAPO is a men’s athleisure brand founded in 2017 by former semi-pro footballers Dan Wilkins and Adam Morning. What began with just selling caps has since expanded into a full range of athletic-inspired wear, from overshirts to trainers.
The company has seen exceptional growth, reporting a 192 % average annual increase in turnover over the last three years.
05.
Pace
Location: City of London
Growth rate: 198%
Founded in 2020 by Tim Bretman, Pace is a change and transformation consultancy focused on aligning people, systems, and processes to unlock organisational efficiency and innovation.
Specialising in areas like Legal, Central Government, and National Infrastructure, it has achieved a 198% annual growth in turnover over the past three years.
04.
Simmer Eats
Location: Camden
Growth rate: 205%
Simmer Eats is a gourmet “heat & eat” meal delivery service. Founded in 2017 by university student Simmy Dhillon and later joined by his brother Jhai and mother Kal, Simmer Eats began as “Rice n Spice,” cooked out of their Hitchin kitchen.
Now the company has featured on four high-growth lists, including the Sunday Times Hundred twice — securing the fifth spot in 2025.
03.
Odd Muse
Location: Camden
Growth rate: 268%
Odd Muse is an “investment fashion” label launched in 2020 by Aimee Smale during the pandemic while studying fashion. She built a cult brand by personally modelling designs on social media.
Within four years, Odd Muse reached a 268% annual growth rate.
02.
Purdy & Figg
Location: Dacorum
Growth rate: 325%
Purdy & Figg is a cleaning brand founded in 2021 by Purdy Rubin, an NHS nurse, and Charlotte Figg, a horticulturist, alongside Purdy’s sons, Charlie and Jack. Its products are handmade in Hertfordshire using plant-based ingredients and essential oils, aiming to offer a more sustainable cleaning solution.
The company has featured on the FEBE Growth 100 high-growth list, as well as the Sunday Times Hundred in both 2024 and 2025.
01.
Healf
Location: Kensington and Chelsea
Growth rate: 434%
Healf is a wellness retailer founded in 2020 by brothers Lestat McCree and Max Clarke. The company aims to simplify the wellness journey by offering a curated selection of over 4,000 products, including supplements, fitness accessories, and sleep aids.
The company secured the second spot on the 2025 Sunday Times Hundred, and top spot on our fastest-growing companies in England list.
All this data and more
If you’re keen to discover fast-growing companies in England and throughout the UK, Beauhurst provides the ideal solution. Our platform delivers comprehensive insights into emerging and ambitious businesses, ensuring you stay ahead of the competition.
Identify market trends, streamline your research efforts, and capitalise on opportunities with our extensive dataset. Our platform covers a wide range of industries and regions, giving you a complete perspective on the UK’s business environment.
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